Iystranis
Iystranis (e''e-strah-niss'') is the majority religion in the mainlands of Iy. The name derives from the Ancient tongue for 'Iy' (All), 'Straum' (Sense) and 'Nise' (Know). It was given this name to describe the feeling of purpose and enlightenment that worship of its deities brought. To be Iystranis is to be connected to all of creation and understand that to live is to be one with The Great Commission: life and purpose. The holy book of Iystranis is the Iystratum Origine, thought to be penned by the Ancient scribe and folklore hero Talanid Helay, and dictated to him by Ar'wey the Firstborn. Pantheon Godhead * Tsroth - creator of The Great Commission Child-Gods * Sudasine - God of fire * Lorridae - God of air * Iyra - God of earth * Oryin - God of night * Kannak - God of water The Firstborns * Ar'wey - Avatar of beauty and inspiration * Eska - Avatar of work and secrets * Kakosta - Avatar of honour and war * Gulga - Avatar of wisdom and peace * Lauly - Avatar of leisure and self * Isoldei - Avatar of cheer and strength Doctrine Iystranis is not a dogmatic religion and people who consider themselves Iystranis do not necessarily refer to themselves as religious. It is treated more as a world view and its mythos is generally agreed to be the correct origins of Iy. The Child-gods are held in high regard but more as respected caretakers than authority figures. Still, each God has their own expectations of mortals and reward those they deem worthy. It is generally agreed that to be Iystranis, you must meet the following requirements: * Accept Tsroth and the Child-gods as the architects of all things. * Show respect to all of the creations of the Child-gods. * Use your mortal existence for the betterment of The Great Commission. Even outright blaspheming the Child-gods doesn't always lead to punishment, though this depends entirely on which Child-god is being insulted and what particular mood they are in. For the most part, the Child-gods give protection to their followers as thanks for the praise that in turn lends them strength. Those who lose faith or reject the Child-gods lose that protection and are more likely to fall foul of Nomsoth: the feral, unholy abominations that were created during the Child-gods attempts at finalising mankind. Mythos Synopsis The Creation Myth Tsroth was formed out of the Far-Dark, or Drochfeir in Ancient tongue, by unclear means. As he grew aware of his own solitude and self, he created the Child-gods: Sudasine, Lorridae, Iyra, Oryin and Kannak respectively. Sudasine was created from a spark as Tsroth rubbed his hands together for warmth. Lorridae was born from Tsroth's sigh as Sudasine's fire started to die. Iyra was birthed from inside a fruit of the first tree, made from a hair on Tsroth's head. Oryin was born from Sudasine's reflection in Tsroth's eye. Kannak was created from a sweat bead on Tsroth's head. Throughout the creation myth, it is established that Sudasine and Lorridae are great rivals, and both lusted for Iyra. When Sudasine rejected Tsroth's consolation prize of Oryin, Kannak's birth formed the seas to separate Sudasine from the earth god so she could peacefully be with the sky god. Moon god Oryin's rejection also explains why she never shares the same horizon with Sudasine, who is master of the sun. The myth also establishes that Tsroth can become frustrated and impatient with the pettiness of his Child-gods, but is ultimately pleased in the planet that is formed from their exploits. The Firstborn and the Nomsoth The Child-gods are the ones credited with all creation after Tsroth's initial involvement in the creation myth. The planet existed for some time as the Child-gods' playground, creating whatever they so wished whilst leaving their father in peace. This would lead to competition between them as to who could create the most beautiful or impressive work. One day, Lorridae made a wager with his older brother and rival Sudasine that he could make a creature superior to any ever seen before. Sudasine could never decline a challenge and entered the wager at once. Their bickering over a suitable prize drew the attention of Tsroth, who suggested whomever made the most sucessful, superior creature would be allowed to let it exist and thrive as a race of servants for all time. The other Child-gods heard this bargain and also entered the challenge and each God left to begin work. After a time, the Gods reunited to show their creations. Each had crafted a being never before seen, with animal-hybrid bodies but minds that were unsurpassed with skill and talent. All of the Gods were impressed with each others' creations and were enraptured by the souls displayed. Even Sudasine and Lorridae congratulated each other. Tsroth asked them to decide a victor, but the Child-Gods could not and the thought of losing any of these specimen saddened them. In a rare moment of co-operation, they decided that all of the creations would be spared, and that instead they would work together to create a singular race that drew aspects from each of the chosen creatures. This led to the creation of mankind. The original 'Firstborn' beings were blessed with celestial shelter so that the blueprints of mankind could never be lost, and lived in the heavens as the zodiac to remind mortals below that each of them were moulded from godliness. A sad side effect to his wager, however, is that in the competitive rush to create the perfect being, the Child-gods had many failures that they cast away: too powerful, disobedient, wild or ugly to be considered a success. These became known as the Nomsoth (none soul) and plague mortals to this day. They are considered unholy abominations that seek to cause misery and corruption in the hearts of the favoured mankind as revenge.Category:Religion and Folklore